Rugby News: Wisemantel back, Barnes on board? Eddie rebuild begins, Wells named Force captain, Hodge says au revoir

Piece by piece, Eddie Jones is starting to put together his coaching team together for the Wallabies’ World Cup year.

While there are still a couple of big pieces to come, the Sydney Morning Herald reports former Wallaby Berrick Barnes, who made his Test debut at the 2007 World Cup under John Connolly, is in the frame to jump on board as a skills coach.

What’s more, Scott Wisemantel – Jones’ long-time right-hand man, who sensationally resigned at the start of the year for personal and business reasons – could re-join as a consultant.

Wisemantel’s decision to step away from the Wallabies at the start of the year, in the weeks before Dave Rennie was sacked, shocked many. But, unsurprisingly, he has reportedly agreed to help Jones.

The duo worked together at the past two World Cups and England’s attack struggled after Wisemantel left to join the Wallabies under Rennie.

While Wisemantel is set to re-join as a consultant, he could still find himself as the Wallabies’ attack coach given he was only ever a “part-time coach” under Jones with England.

As well as being a school teacher and enjoying surfing on the north-east coach of NSW, Wisemantel would fly in ahead of tournaments and work forensically when he was on but otherwise would get back to everyday living.

Barnes, who lives near Wisemantel, was being lined up to work with the Wallabies under Rennie before the New Zealander was sacked.

Berrick Barnes of the Waratahs talks to team mates during a Waratahs Super Rugby training session at Moore Park on July 11, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Although he has no significant high-performance coaching, the 51-Test playmaker, who was Quade Cooper’s understudy at the 2011 World Cup and also played for the Brisbane Broncos before switching to rugby, is often seen helping out at the amateur level of the game.

The Roar can confirm that former AFL coaching guru Neil Craig, Jones’ long-time advisor and one of the rugby coach’s most trusted figures, is set to join in some capacity, too.

Jones’ former psychologist Corinne Reid, who is considered an “athlete whisperer” and was pivotal in England’s run to the World Cup, is also likely to join.

The coaching movement comes as Jones attempts to convince former Brumbies coach, Dan McKellar, to stay on board, with the Wallabies forward coach attracting interest overseas.

It also comes just days after Laurie Fisher, who was brought on during last year’s Rugby Championship as Matt Taylor’s replacement as defence coach, confirmed he would not be a part of Jones’ team for the World Cup.

Jones confirmed last week he had not locked anyone in for his coaching team.

While he said he was “not at all” worried by the fact he hadn’t assembled his team, he said he hoped it was settled “as quickly as possible”.

“But in a lot of ways, we’ve got time because as a coaching team, we need to be together probably for the last six or eight weeks of Super Rugby where selection is going to become important,” he said.

Wells goes straight in to captaincy role at his new club

Former Melbourne Rebels skipper Michael Wells will lead the Western Force in his first season at the Super Rugby Pacific club.

The 29-year-old backrower has impressed since moving west to reunite with incoming coach Simon Cron, who he worked with at the NSW Waratahs and Sydney club Norths.

It adds another layer to the round one battle between the long-time rival clubs, who meet in Perth on Saturday night.

“I’ve known him (Simon Cron) since 2011, when he first started coaching Norths in Sydney and my relationship with him is pretty aligned in how we see the game,” Wells said in a statement.

“We are both more technically and tactically oriented and reasonably blunt.”

Wells takes over from hooker Feleti Kaitu’u, who led the Force last year under then coach Tim Sampson, who has joined the Rebels as an assistant.

“I definitely learned a lot from having my first experience as a captain of a Super Rugby team last year (Melbourne Rebels),” Wells said.

“What I’ll bring to this role is knowing to put my performance first, and if I’m doing my job, it gives my words a bit more value when I speak.

“I also learned that you need to connect with people on a higher level as a captain. 

“My style of leadership is very, I guess, black and white, technical, tactical and to the point.” 

The Rebels last week named Victorian born and bred backrower Rob Leota as their new captain.

‘Rugby is a fickle game’

Matt Faessler is proof the Queensland’s “next man up” mentality is more than just talk as the Super Rugby Pacific side deals with a different positional dilemma for their season opener.

The opportunistic hooker was your average punter when Richie Asiata broke his arm in a pre-season trial last year.

He had just left town for NSW’s Shute Shield, but with fellow hooker Josh Nasser also sidelined he was rushed back to Ballymore and thrust into the big time.

Faessler finished the season on an Australia A tour with a new Reds contract and is set to start in the front row ahead of Asiata against the Hurricanes in Townsville on Saturday.

“I watched the trial when Rich broke his arm and you sort of wonder if you’ll get the call,” he said after Monday’s gym session.

“It ended up being the case. A lot of people get their opportunities that way.

“Rugby is a fickle game; I was just playing club footy, minding my own business and then was thrown into the deep end. But I’ve loved every minute.”

It’s at lock where the Reds are now scrambling, with recruit Luke Jones (neck) an unlikely starter, Ryan Smith (shoulder) an outside shot and Angus Blyth (ankle) no chance of playing.

It’s likely versatile backrower Seru Uru will be thrust into the lineout, the Reds’ flanking stocks coming to the rescue of coach and former lock Brad Thorn.

“As it was last year at hooker, it’s just next man in,” Faessler said of the side’s lock stocks.

“Seru is a bit of a taller dude and good in the lineout so we can rely on that.”

The Townsville clash represents a golden chance for the Reds to stop the rot after going winless in all six games against New Zealand opposition last season.

Their brave quarter-final loss to the Crusaders last season, without James O’Connor and Taniela Tupou, made it 20 straight defeats to Kiwi teams away from home.

But their 2021 win over the Chiefs in Townsville broke a run of 15-straight New Zealand victories against Australian opponents.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a monkey on the back, but we do want to show everyone what we’ve been working on,” Faessler said of their record against New Zealand sides.

“Everyone wants to put a statement on the competition in the first round.”

Fiji lures for Razor

Fiji has stepped up its puruit of Scott Robertson for the World Cup, using the country’s surf breaks as a potential lure.

Fiji are in the market for a replacement for Vern Cotter, who unexpectedly stepped down.

Robertson is a leading candidate to take over the All Blacks after the World Cup but Fiji Rugby Union acting chief executive Tevita Tuiloa wants him to take their team to RWC in France first.

Tuiloa said he has been trying to twist Robertson’s arm through his passion for surfing.

“I know he’s a surfer, so I told him, look you can come to Cloudbreak in Tavarua and come and surf some clouds, some barrels, some big waves there and come and coach the Flying Fijians,” Tuiloa told FBC News in Fiji.

”We’ll give that to you for free, and you can help our boys reach the quarterfinals.”

Hodge heads to France

Wallabies utility Reece Hodge is set to depart Australian rugby after the World Cup to join French Top 14 club Bayonne on a three-year deal.

Debuting with the Melbourne Rebels in 2016, Hodge has played 62 Tests for Australia, spending time in almost every backline position.

He featured in all but one of last year’s Rugby Championship matches and started at inside centre against Wales in axed coach Dave Rennie’s last game in charge.

Due to his versatility Hodge is expected to play a role in Australia’s World Cup campaign later this year in France under new coach Eddie Jones.

Bayonne club president Philippe Tayeb said 28-year-old Hodge was a world-class player.

(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

“He comes to expand our squad,” Tayeb told French television Canal+. 

“He is a world-class player and he comes above all for his versatility and to support and grow our project and the young people of our club.”

His former Rebels teammate Michael Ruru is also at the French club.

Canes short in playmaker roles for SRP opener

The Hurricanes will be without two of their main playmakers for the start of the Super Rugby Pacific season against the Reds and Rebels.

Coach Jason Holland said Ruben Love and Brett Cameron will miss the two games in Australia after picking up injuries during the pre-season.

Love has been sidelined with an ongoing groin issue, which has limited his involvement during training, while Cameron suffered a grade two calf tear against the Blues.

Aidan Morgan and Josh Moorby look set to start at No. 10 and No. 15 in Saturday night’s opener against the Reds in Townsville.